


Control

by arcanalalune



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-11
Updated: 2019-07-08
Packaged: 2020-04-24 20:46:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,996
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19181077
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arcanalalune/pseuds/arcanalalune
Summary: A persona is the strength of one's heart. A persona user is someone who has complete control of their emotions. An awakening occurs when one's inner rebellious nature is manifested.What if Yuuki Mishima had been exposed to the metaverse? Would he have gotten his own awakening and persona? The #1 Phanboy very well could have been a Phantom Thief himself and this story explores that alternate universe.





	1. Weak and Wounded

Mr. Inui stepped up to the chalkboard and wrote the name “Bathala.” The chalk scraped a bold underline beneath the word as Mr. Inui turned on his heel and faced the class of 2-D. “Amamiya-kun!” Ren Amamiya, the new transfer student with a rumored criminal record, lifted his head up to pay attention to the teacher. “Bathala is the supreme god of which brand of mythology?”

“Phillipine.” Amamiya responded effortlessly.

“Correct!” Mr. Inui clapped and resumed his lecture. “Phillipine mythology, or more specifically, Tagalog mythology is centered around the god Bathala. He is an all-mighty deity who created the universe. He had three offspring with a mortal woman; Hanan, deity of the morning, Tala, deity of the stars, and Mayari, deity of the moon. Now–”

As his lecture resumed, the students paid different degrees of attention. Two quick buzzes sounded out of one student’s pocket. Ren took out his cell phone and looked at his texts. Ann Takamaki, who sat in front of Ren, took hers out as well. As they discretely looked down at their phones without the teacher noticing, Yuuki Mishima turned his attention to Ren and Ann. He frowned, then shook his head and tried to focus on the lecture until its end.

**xxxxx**

Lunchtime had rolled around and Mishima had pulled a bento box out of his bag and decided to eat at his desk. He glanced down at the bandages and wrappings around his arms and hands then shut his eyes tight. After a deep breath in and then out, he opened his eyes and tried to just enjoy his meal. Ryuji Sakamoto, walked through the doorway into the classroom and breezed right past Mishima, heading towards his friends Ann and Ren on the other side of the room. The three friends smiled at one another upon meeting. The boy in bandages and bruises tilted his head a bit to listen in on the friends, but he couldn’t make out what they were saying exactly. All he heard was laughter and general pleasantness among them. He then glared down at his lunch and, having no appetite anymore, put the top back on the box and slid it back into his bag.

Ren’s gaze shifted a bit towards Mishima and his smile subsided. He turned to Ann, “Do you know him?”

Ann looked over at Mishima and frowned a bit but then looked back at Ren. “Yeah. That’s Mishima-kun. I don’t know too much about him, though. He’s on the volleyball team and he’s in our class but that’s about all I know.”

"That guy always has bruises on him.” Ryuji chimed in. “He says that they’re from practice, but–”

“Is the coach…?” Ren said under his breath.

Ryuji shrugged. “Prolly.”

Ren clenched his fist, “We need to do something.”

“Yeah, sure, but what can we do?” Ryuji asked as Ren stayed silent. “Well, uh, anyway, what’s the deal with that app on your phone, huh? Still can’t delete it?” Ren shook his head and took out his phone. He unlocked it and looked at a red icon with a mysterious eye on it. Ryuji took the phone from him and examined the icon. “Freaky… Oh! Hey! I got an idea!” The blond brought the phone over to where Mishima was sitting. “Hey. Mishima. You’re good with tech shit, right?”

“Uh…?” Mishima looked over at Ryuji and then Ren and Ann who had followed him. “I… guess?”

“Cool. Well, my friend Renren over here’s got a problem with his phone.” Ryuji showed Mishima the app on the phone. “Ya see, there’s this app he can’t get rid of and–”

"An app you can’t get rid of?”

Ren stepped forward, “Yes. I keep deleting it, but–”

"Ah, I don’t know anything about that!” Mishima stood up quickly and grabbed his things. “I’m sorry. I should be going. I have a, um, special coaching session today.”

“Wait!” Ann shouted after him but Mishima had already left the classroom. “That was weird…”

“Eh…” Ryuji shrugged. “He’s a weird guy. Eff me for tryna reach out to him, huh?” Ren looked down and sighed. “Hey, don’t worry about him, okay?”

“He seems troubled.” The transfer student remarked.

“We’re all troubled! You got the whole school thinking you’re a dangerous criminal, I got my leg broken and now the whole track team hates me, and Ann is being used as a pawn by an asshole so her best friend can get a starting position on the volleyball team. We all have problems but we’re sucking it up and moving on.”

“I can’t accept that.”

Ryuji sighs, “Look man, I get it. I wanna do something, too. But what can we do? Kamoshida is a prick.”

_Candidate found._

“Hm?” Ren looked at his phone, where an electronic voice had just spoken.

“You say somethin’?”

Ren shook his head. “Not me.”

Ryuji handed the phone back to Ren. “Well, like I was saying, everyone at Shujin has it rough, so–” _Candidate found._ “Dude. I’m talking.”

“It’s not me. It’s my phone.”

“Well, turn it off!” Ren put his phone down on the desk. “Anyway… as long as that bastard Kamoshida sees this place as his castle, then…”

_Candidate found. Beginning navigation._

**xxxxx**

Yuuki Mishima walked into his room, wearing a robe and rubbing a towel through his hair to dry it off. He put the towel around his neck and sat down on his bed, staring at his phone. A strange app with a red icon and mysterious eye was looking back at him. He groaned as he gripped onto his phone, desperately wanting to figure out what the app was on his phone for. How did it get there? How come he couldn’t delete it? How come the app was making noises and moments later he was in a strange world? Was all that a dream? Did it really even happen? How come he couldn’t get back? All of these thoughts rushed through his head and he started feeling overwhelmed.

“Suguru Kamoshida.” Mishima muttered quietly into his phone. _Candidate found._ He nodded. “Shujin Academy.” _Candidate found._ “Okay… um… prison.” _No candidates found._ “Not prison… Then how about… detention hall?” _No candidates found._ “Clinic?” _No candidates found._ “Ugh!” Mishima tossed his phone away from him and laid back against his bed and stared at the ceiling of his bedroom. He sighed deeply and slowly closed his eyes, mulling over everything that has happened to him.

Mishima was always pushed around and made fun of ever since middle school. He was the class joke and all of his classmates liked to bully him. He knew that he was nothing more than a zero. After coming to Shujin Academy, however, he saw how the reputation the school had for having an Olympic gold medalist as a P.E. teacher could benefit him. Although sports were not exactly something he exceled at, he tried out for the volleyball team. Maybe if he was part of a team and got to go to nationals and win something for once, people would stop making fun of him. Nothing changed, however. The volleyball coach, Suguru Kamoshida, allowed him to be on the team but not as a starter or even a regular. Whenever Kamoshida was in a bad mood, he’d take it out on the team and call someone in for a special coaching session. Mishima was frequently called in for these sessions. It mostly consisted of him being physically and verbally abused. When he first came home with cuts and bruises on him, his parents questioned it. Upon hearing that Kamoshida inflicted the beating on him, however, they kept quiet and told Mishima to stay on the team.

Everything was seemingly hopeless until he found a new app on his phone. He kept trying to delete it, but it just kept coming back. During practice one day, he was waiting on the bench to be put in and his phone kept making noises as people around him conversed. After practice had ended he found himself inside a castle. Guards came up to him and threatened him with his life, claiming they had to serve King Kamoshida. Mishima was able to escape from them and go back into the real world but, after coming back, he realized he wanted to go back to the other world. Maybe there was something special about him? Something he could do about his situation? No… probably not. It was all probably a dream and the app was just a virus. There’s no way there could be anything special about Mishima.

He rolled over to his side and stared at the evidence of Kamoshida’s abuse on his arms. Some of the bruises were old but there was some fresh discoloration starting to form due to a special coaching he had that very day. He opened up his side table drawer and took out some cotton, antiseptic, and bandages. Carefully, he dabbed antiseptic on his newer cuts. The stinging caused him to wince a bit. When he was done, he wrapped some bandage around his arm and laid back down, wallowing a little.

“Kamoshida…” He closed his eyes again, exhausted.

 

           

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! This AU means a lot to me and I plan on writing a lot for it if I can! Please tell me what you think and I hope you enjoy!


	2. Awakening

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A rebellious inner spirit breaks free.

_Beginning navigation._

Reality altered and shifted and suddenly Ren, Ann, and Ryuji found themselves inside a grand castle. The ground shook as heavy footsteps approached the three students. Ryuji examined his surroundings, “Hey, where are we? What’s that?”

Ren shrugged, and Ann looked around, worried. “I dunno. How did we get here…?”

Several large soldiers lumbered towards the concerned group. “Halt! Who goes there? Who dares trespass onto King Kamoshida’s castle?”

“King… Kamoshida?” Ren repeated.

“Hey! Hey! Hey!!” An exuberant voice shouted from behind Ren. “If you value your life, you’ll follow me and listen to everything I say. Got it?”

Ren turned around and a small monster-looking cat with black and white fur crossed his arms and looked at Ren and the others, smug.

**xxxxx**

“All right, everyone! Let’s go again! Get in your positions!” Kamoshida barked at the boys on the volleyball team as they practiced. “Bend your knees! Lower!”

“C-Coach?” Mishima stumbled over to Kamoshida, legs weak. “C-Can I get a drink of water?”

"Tch, you can have some water after you score a point.”

Mishima sighed helplessly and tried to carry himself back to his teammates as they resumed play.

Practice continued and Kamoshida relentlessly berated the players throughout the game. When practice finally ended, Mishima made his way to the bench and grasped at his water bottle. He tightened his grip around it and drank as if he had been denied water for days. Exhausted, he fell down onto the bench and leaned back to rest. He closed his eyes to try and erase the pain inflicted on him over the past hour or so.

As his eyes were still closed, Shiho Suzui, a player on the girl’s volleyball team, walked over to Mishima and sat down next to him. “Are you okay, Mishima-kun?” She asked quietly.

“Hn…” Mishima struggled to speak. “N-No… I’m… it’s fine.”

“You don’t look fine… You have a cut right there.” Shiho reached to touch right below the cut across Mishima’s cheek. He flinched at her touch. “Oh. Sorry.”

“It’s okay.” He sighed. “I’m just a little… sensitive right now, I guess…”

“I understand.” Shiho retracted her hand and glanced down at the floor. “Kamoshida was really rough on you today.”

“Hm, yeah… no more than usual, though.” An uncomfortable silence filled the air. “Ah, but… I, uh, I heard you might be getting a starting position soon? That’s incredible, Suzui-san.”

A small smile appeared on Shiho’s face. “Oh. Yeah, maybe!”

"You’ve worked really hard for it. I hope you get it.”

“What about you? Do you think Coach Kamoshida will make you a regular soon?”

Mishima shook his head. “I doubt it. I’m... not very good.” He chuckled pathetically.

"Well, you never know!” Shiho tried forcing some positivity to make Mishima feel better. “If you work really hard, then maybe–”

"He’s not going to stop, is he?” Mishima spat out the words with a hint of anger behind his voice. “Kamoshida, I mean.” He looked around to make sure the coast was clear and saw that him and Shiho were the only two people left in the gym. “He’s not going to stop… hurting me. Us.”

Shiho said nothing. She felt as though there was nothing she could say. All she could do was nod and then silently depart, leaving Mishima to sit alone with his thoughts and wounds.

**xxxxx**

“Wow!” Morgana, the black and white cat from earlier, exclaimed. “I can’t believe I’ve run into three other persona users!”

Ryuji held onto Ann, who felt faint from awakening to her persona. “This shit still doesn’t make any sense.”

“Of course it wouldn’t to you, Blondie. What? Do you have rocks in your head instead of a brain?” Morgana chuckled to himself.

“Hey!”

“Guys…” Ann shakily made her way to up standing on her feet. “Should we get out of here? Before more shadows get to us?”

Morgana shrugged. “It is important to pace yourself. I’ll show you the way out, okay?”

Ren nodded and followed Morgana as he skipped out of the grand hall in the castle. Ryuji and Ann took Ren’s lead.

As they traversed through the castle, they passed cells with people screaming and calling for help. Ryuji approached one of the cells. “Who’s there?”

Morgana hopped over to Ryuji. “Don’t bother with them! They’re just cognitive beings! They might look familiar, but they aren’t the people you know in the real world.”

“Cog…ni…tive?” Ryuji repeated.

“You wouldn’t understand. Come on. Let’s keep going.”

“But they’re asking for help!”

Morgana exhaled deeply, exasperated. “Look. The people in those cells are just cognitive. They aren’t real. If they’re asking for help, then maybe they need help in the real world. But you can’t do anything here to help them right now. If you want to help them, then deal with them in your world.”

Ryuji nodded as they all continued to walk along the cells, surrounded by painful screams.

"Yes, sir, King Kamoshida!” A voice echoed from around the corner. The team of persona users quickly hid behind a pillar. Ren turned his head a bit to listen in.

“Is someone there?” Ann whispered to Morgana.

Morgana looked around the pillar and saw a teenage boy in handcuffs turn the corner. He looked back at Ann. “It’s just some kid. We can probably just walk past him. Come on. Hurry.” Morgana hopped along the path to head to the exit and the other three started to follow suit.

Ren hurried with the rest of them but then halted upon recognizing the boy in the handcuffs. “M-Mishima…?”

“You know him, huh?” Morgana shook his head. “Again, don’t bother with him. He’s not real!”

“Wh-Who are you people?” The cognitive version of Mishima asked, weakly. “Are you intruding on King Kamoshida’s castle?”

Ren stepped closer. “Mishima…”

Mishima jumped back quickly and then, from the energy he exerted from the sharp movement, felt faint and collapsed onto the ground. “Y-You can’t defeat King Kamoshida. He’ll get you!” He breathed deeply and slowly stood back up, leaning against a pillar. “Sir! King Kamoshida! I… I found the intruders!”

“Dude! What are you doing?” Ryuji shouted.

“Never mind him!” Morgana jumped up and down. “We got to get out of here!”

The three other persona users nodded and followed Morgana as he rushed out of the hall. Mishima sighed and slid down the pillar back down onto the ground, completely spent.

The group had finally made their way out of the castle and they stopped at the entrance to catch their breath. “Is everyone okay?” Morgana asked, concerned. “You all did great in there. And you just awakened to your personas, too! You must be exhausted, though… You should go back to your world for now.”

“How do we do that?” Ryuji kicked at the ground.

"How did you get here?”

Ann pointed at Ren. “Ren’s phone kept making sounds and then we ended up here. So maybe through that weird app?”

Ren took out his phone and opened up the app. He pressed a button and reality started to alter again, placing Ren, Ann, and Ryuji back into their real world at Shujin Academy.

"Duuude. What _was_ that place?” Ryuji shook his head as if doing so would help make sense of everything that transpired. “That wasn’t a dream, right?”

Ann piped in, “I don’t think so. It felt very real.”

Ren looked at his phone again and inhaled sharply, his eyes a little sad. Ryuji gave him a concerned look. “What’s up, man? You upset?”

“Those slaves…” Ren murmured.

“Oh. Right. That’s messed up, right? That cat said that they’re going through similar shit in our world, huh?”

Ann had a look of worry in her eyes as she stared at Ren. “So then, it’s true? What’s happening to Mishima?”

Ren nodded. “Must be.”

“Well. We gotta do somethin’ about it then, huh?” Ryuji put an arm around Ren. “Should we go talk to him?”

Ann looked up and saw that it had gotten dark. “We probably have to do it tomorrow. We missed half of school in that other world and volleyball practice is probably over by now.”

“All right, then. Tomorrow. We’ll talk to him and help him out. Sound good, Renren?” Another quick nod from Ren, and Ryuji smiled. “That’s what I like ta see!” Ren forced a small smile. “Okay. I should head home. My mom is prolly worried sick. See ya tomorrow!” Ryuji and the others started to walk their separate ways.

**xxxxx**

The next morning, Ren walked into classroom 2-D and looked for Mishima, but he was not at his desk. He figured that maybe Mishima had just come in early to practice at the gym. As class hadn’t started yet, Ren decided to quickly check the gym. Just as he suspected, Mishima was in there. He was not practicing, though. He was sitting on the bench starting at his phone, mumbling into it and getting increasingly frustrated. Ren slowly approached him. “Mishima?”

Mishima, startled, dropped his phone. “Ah! Amamiya! Wh-What are you doing here?”

“I want to talk to you.” Ren said quietly as he pushed up on his glasses.

“Um… about what…?”

"Kamoshida… He’s abusing you, isn’t he?”

Mishima gasped. “N-No! Of course not! He’s my coach. He wouldn’t… do that…”

“Are you telling the truth?”

“Yes!” He shouted and picked up his phone with the rest of this belongings. “Class is starting soon… you’re going to be late.”

“But–”

“Goodbye.”

As Mishima walked off and turned the corner, he whispered into his phone and suddenly, he was gone. Ren’s breath got caught in his throat as he reached towards Mishima. After a glance around the gym to make sure no one was around, he whispered the keywords into his own phone, hoping to follow Mishima into Kamoshida’s palace.

Another shift in cognition and Ren and Mishima had both entered the metaverse.

“Mishima.” Ren called after him but Mishima ran into the castle completely uninhibited. “Mishima!” He called again as he stormed into the building.

Immediately, Mishima was apprehended by several huge shadow knights, Ren stepped back and hid behind a bust of Kamoshida. “Ah! Agh, let go!” Mishima pleaded while Shadow Kamoshida entered. “K-Kamoshida?”

The shadow chuckled maniacally, “Well, well, if it isn’t the talentless Mishima… Intruding on my castle grounds?”

“N-No! Let me go!” Mishima struggled to break free but it was hopeless.

“Struggling, eh? _You_? You know it’s no use. I should just kill you right here.”

He shut his eyes tight and frantically tried to escape, the knights’ grips just getting tighter. “No! Not like this! I need to s-stop you!”

“Stop me? Yeah right. Guards! Execute him.”

“N-No…” Mishima whimpered and stopped struggling.

Kamoshida laughed as a cognitive version of Shiho walked up to him. “Master~!” She giggled.

Hearing Shiho’s voice, Mishima immediately looked up, “S-Suzui-san?”

As she laughed, she cozied up to Kamoshida, “You’re _so_ cool, Kamoshida~!”

“After I execute this intruder, I’m going to have some fun with you.” Kamoshida put his arm around Shiho and brought her closer against his body.

Mishima shouted out helplessly. “Don’t you dare touch her!”

“Oh?” Kamoshida mused playfully. “Does this upset you?” He laughed as he ran his hand along Shiho’s back.

"Stop it!”

“Well, well, well… looks like someone’s got the hots for Suzui!”

“Shut up! Y-You… you… bastard!”

Kamoshida chuckled, “Maybe before I execute you… I’ll make you watch as I have my way with Suzui over here…”

“No!” Mishima fought back as hard as he could to release himself from the shadow knights’ grasp, but to no avail. He untensed his muscles and began to give up. “No…”

Suddenly, Ren revealed himself from behind the bust. “Mishima! Don’t give in!”

“Amamiya?” He turned to his classmate and just then, more knights shuffled over to Ren and seized him as well.

“Two intruders, eh?” Kamoshida chortled. “Well, that just means one more audience member for this little show.”

“Oh, Kamoshida~!” Shiho laughed brightly. “You’re so bad~!”

“Suzui…” Mishima said under his breath.

Just then, a mysterious and mystical voice rang in his head.

_Well, well, are you still holding back?_

_Will you merely watch as she suffers at his hand?_

_Don’t you want to take a stand against injustice?_

“Yes…” Mishima fought to speak.

_Excellent. Now we must commence with the contract._

_I am thou, thou art I._

_Thou hast found strength buried amongst weakness._

_The spirit of revolution has sparked anew inside yourself._

_Revolt against the strong and embolden the meek!_

Mishima grasped onto the mask that appeared on him and ripped it off furiously. An elegant and beautiful demigoddess with a bright aura surrounding her manifested inside the castle. “I’m ready!” Mishima shouted as he finally broke free. “Mayari!”

             
           

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the moment I've always wanted to write! I hope you enjoy it! Moonmoon finally got his persona! Please let me know what you think and what you'd like to see in the future.


	3. Storm the Castle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After awakening to his Persona, Mishima is filled with more determination than ever to defeat Kamoshida.

“Mayari!” The shout of his newly born Persona’s name shot out of Mishima naturally and powerfully. He ripped off his mask, a rounded crescent-shaped cover that was tinted midnight blue with golden accents along it. As blood dripped from the area that the mask was covering, Mayari swirled around him and Mishima’s outfit changed from his Shujin uniform, to an elegant and sharp pinstriped suit with pointed shoes. The dark blue tones of his suit were complemented with a leather trench coat draped over his shoulders. Mishima placed one hand on top of the fedora that was casually resting on his head and pointed forward at Kamoshida. “Chastise them, Mayari!”

Mayari spun around as Mishima summoned her. She was an extravagant demigoddess with warm, reddish-brown skin and wavy dark hair that was lengthy and flowed in an entrancing way. Her right eye shone a light grey similar to moonlight, while her left eye had a scar across it. Bright golden jewelry such as earrings and bracelets adorned her body and contributed to her luminous aura. She raised her arms up, harnessing a light gravity spell and aiming it directly at the knights who apprehended Ren. The knights fell to the ground and released their grip around the boy. He fell to his knees but smiled slowly, ripping off his own mask and summoning Arsene.

“Persona!” Ren shouted as Arsene apparated into the castle. He cast a curse spell on the remaining guards and they fell as well. Kamoshida stepped backwards, frightened. Ren shot his gaze towards Mishima, who was struggling to steady his breath. He had a passionate resolve, however, to fight, and he looked at Ren and gave him knowing nod. Ren smiled and jumped forward, as did Mishima, away from the guards and toward the lecherous king.

Kamoshida laughed a bit to keep up his façade. “You really think you two can stop me? Tch, pathetic.” He turned towards the cognitive Shiho and brought her close against him.

Mishima stamped his foot down on the ground and screamed, “No! You get your hands off her!”

“Mishima…” Ren put his arm in front of him to stop him from approaching further. “That’s not the real Shiho… stay calm.”

"Not the real Shiho…?” He groaned, frustrated.

Another boisterous laugh radiated throughout the castle hall. “Nice try, kids, but you’ll have to work a hell of a lot harder to beat me!” With that, he snapped his fingers and more shadow knights rushed into the room. They were bigger and even stronger. Mishima was a little intimidated but he still stepped forward towards them. “Amamiya… let’s go for it.”

"No.”

“What?”

“You just awakened to your persona and we’re outnumbered. Let’s retreat for now.”

Reluctantly, Mishima nodded and stepped back. The two turned around and headed back towards the entrance, running away from the knights.

**xxxxx**

As the sun began to set, Mishima followed Ren on the train to Yongen. Ren relayed all the information he had learned about the metaverse through Morgana and his own experiences there.

“So… it’s like cognitive psience?”  Mishima looked down at his shoes, lost in thought.

"Cognitive science?” Ren mused.

“Ah!” Mishima laughed a bit. “Cognitive psience. P-S-I-E-N-C-E. A mix of the psyche and regular science. So, it’s the study of the mind’s conscious and unconscious and these “palaces” are a manifestation of an individual’s distorted desires. We were literally in Kamoshida’s heart, then…” Ren nodded. “And anyone can have a palace if their desires become distorted enough. Interesting.”

The train made its way to the Yongen-Jaya station and the two students got off the train and started walking towards Café Leblanc. Ren led the way around the backstreets and Mishima obediently followed. Ren turned his head towards Mishima. “You have a better grasp of this stuff than Ryuji does.”

Mishima chuckled lightly. “Sakamoto tries his best, I’m sure! But still, that’s a lot to take in. I’m exhausted, too. I can’t wait to see all your guys’ personas!”

Ren stopped short. “What do you mean?”

“Oh. Well. When we go back into that metaverse place. We’re all going back in there, right?”

"Why would we go back?”

He took a step backwards. “Because… we have to stop Kamoshida, don’t we?”

“Listen, Mishima—”

“What? We can’t just let Kamoshida do those things anymore!”

A deep sigh came out of Ren. “That’s not the real Kamoshida. We shouldn’t interfere.”

“Amamiya… How can you say that? I… I don’t care what the rest of you do, but I’m going back there! Even if I have to do it all by myself!”

"You can’t. It’s too dangerous.”

His breath hitched, and he shut his eyes tight, clenching his fist. “I… I don’t care! I’m not going to let him get away with this.”

“Mishima.” Ren pleaded, but Mishima had already turned away from Ren and started running back towards the train station. Ren exhaled, exhausted from his trip in the metaverse and made a decision to talk sense into Mishima the next day. He turned back and walked into Café Leblanc.

**xxxxx**

The next morning, Ren met up with Ann and Ryuji in the courtyard. Ryuji slammed his fist against one of the vending machines. “Dammit. That idiot! He’s just gonna go running into that other world all by himself? He’ll get killed!”

Ren nodded. “I know.”

Ann stood up, determined. “We have to stop him!”

Ryuji scoffed. “Like it’ll really be that easy.”

“I agree.” Ren put his hands in his pockets and leaned against the vending machine. “He seemed very determined.”

“Still…” Ann turned to Ren. “We can’t just let him do this.”

“I’ll talk to him again after class.”

Ryuji rubbed the back of his head. “’S that gonna be enough? I’ll talk to him, too.” Ren offered a quick nod and Ryuji smiled. “Cool. See ya then.”

The group of three dispersed to head towards their respective classrooms.

As Ren walked across the threshold of class 2-D, he noticed Mishima was not at his desk. He stopped for a second, but then continued on to his seat, convincing himself that Mishima would show up to class soon.

Ms. Kawakami, the homeroom teacher, stepped to the front of the class and hushed everyone to begin the lecture. “Okay, everyone. Settle down. Let’s start homeroom.”

Ren’s gaze drifted towards Mishima’s still empty desk and he felt his stomach drop. He sat through all of the day’s lectures while worry kept piling up in his mind. Mishima could’ve already been in the metaverse by now. If he went in alone, surely, he wouldn’t make it back out. Ren tried to ease his worry by convincing himself that Mishima had run into Morgana who could be protecting him. Still, he felt guilty that he hadn’t stopped him sooner. He slyly took out his phone and texted in the group chat he had with Ann and Ryuji.

 **Ren:** Mishima isn’t in class.

 **Ryuji:** Say what? Where’s he at?

 **Ann:** He probably went into the metaverse.

 **Ryuji:** That guy is too reckless.

 **Ren:** Let’s go in after him.

 **Ann:** Are you sure?

 **Ren:** Once class is over.

 **Ryuji:** You got it, man.

 **Ann:** Roger.

The minute the last lecture of the day was over and class had ended, Ann and Ren met Ryuji at the front of the school.

Ryuji rushed towards the expectant pair. “Hey. I’m here. What’s the plan? We goin’ in there after him?” Ren gave a look of affirmation to Ryuji. “No problem. Let’s start this rescue mission!”

Ann bit her lip. “Let’s just be careful, alright? We’re just going to find Mishima and get him out of there, okay?”

“Okay, okay, now enough yappin’ and let’s go!”

Ren pulled out his phone and started up the nav app.

_Beginning navigation._

The three ended up in front of Kamoshida’s castle and started to sneak in when a familiar voice called out to them. “Hey! Blondie! Frizzy hair!” Ren, Ann, and Ryuji turned towards the voice and saw Morgana trying to get their attention.

“Morgana?” Ren asked.

Ryuji walked up to him. “Hey, you seen that Mishima kid come through here?”

Morgana crossed his arms. “Are you talking about the slave we saw the other day? I saw someone who looked kinda like him run into the castle. I tried to warn him about the shadows, but he didn’t listen. He was wearing a weird suit and hat. He looked like a persona-user.”

“That was him.” Ren confirmed to himself.

Morgana shrugged. “Well, are you going in after him? You better be careful. The shadows have gotten stronger, y’know.”

“It doesn’t matter. We have to save him.”

“Suit yourself. I’ll come with you, then. You could use all the protection you can get.”

The four stormed the castle, defeating all the shadows they came across and navigating through the halls of the building. After a long while, they all became exhausted and still saw no sign of Mishima.

“It’s no use, man.” Ryuji panted, looking at Ren. “We’ve looked all over this castle and he’s not here. I hate it to say it, but…”

Just then, they all heard a voice coming from the next room. “Punish them, Mayari!”

Ren stood up straight. “Mayari… that’s Mishima’s persona.”

“Dude!” Ryuji patted his hand on Ren’s shoulder. “We found him! Let’s get in there!”

They ran through the doors and caught up to Mishima standing up against several shadows.

“Mishima!” Ann shouted after him.

Mishima turned to Ann briefly and then back at the shadows. “What are you all doing here? This is my fight. Not yours.”       

“You’re wrong!”

“I’ve got this. Just leave.”

“Mishima.” Ren stepped forward. “You’re not alone in this.”

Ryuji steps up to Ren. “He’s right, man! You gotta chill. We all have something against that asshole. But you can’t keep coming in here alone to stop him!’

Mayari attacked several of the guard shadows at once and they fell to their knees, weak. Mishima scoffed lightly. “I got this.”

Ann shouted. “Mishima! Let us help you!”

“Do what you want.”

Ren, Ann, Ryuji, and Morgana all rushed behind Mishima and summoned their personas. With all of their efforts combined, they defeated all of the shadows in the room. They all tried to catch their breath as Mishima’s knees buckled and he collapsed. Ren rushed to his side and lifted him up to a sitting position, letting Mishima rest his weight on him. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine…” Mishima spat, a little ashamed.

Morgana slowly walked up to him. “Hey, kid. I got a proposal for you. You hate this Kamoshida, don’t you?” Mishima nodded slowly. “Well, I’ve seen you fight, and you’re not bad for a rookie.” He turned to the rest of the group. “You’re all actually pretty good, and I’ve been thinking… Maybe there’s a way you all can get your revenge on Kamoshida.”

“Really?” Mishima perked up. “How?”

“We steal his treasure.”

“Treasure?”

Morgana gave a quick nod. “Yup. If we steal the source of someone’s distorted desires, the palace will collapse, and the palace ruler will have a change of heart.”

“So…” Ryuji started to think. “Kamoshida will become good?”

“Allegedly. I’ve never done it successfully, but that should be what happens.”

Ann frowned. “But what good will that do? He’ll be a good guy, and everyone will keep praising him. He doesn’t deserve that.”

“No. If he has a change of heart, the weight of his crimes will weigh too heavily on his conscience and he’ll confess to everything.”

Mishima sat up straight. “Really? Kamoshida will confess?”

“Yup.”

"Let’s do this. Let’s steal his treasure.”

Ryuji turned to Mishima. “Easy there. We don’t even know how to do that.”

Morgana hopped up next to Ren. “No worries. I’ll guide all of you. If that’s what you want.”

Mishima gave a defeated look to everybody. A moment of silence passed, and Ann clenched her fist resolutely. “I’m in.” Mishima smiled.

Ryuji clenched his fist as well. “Hey, if she’s in, then so am I.”

“Thank you, both.” Mishima turned to Ren. “Amamiya? I… don’t think I can do this without you.”

Ren offered a genuine smile. “You can count on me.”

Morgana bounced between everyone. “It’s settled then! We’re a team and we’re stealing the treasure! We’ll change Kamoshida’s heart”

Mishima was filled with determination as he looked at his newfound teammates.      

“Hey, now that we got a breather, I have to ask…” Ryuji laughed as he scanned Mishima’s outfit. “What the hell is with that getup?”

“Oh! You like it? It’s reminiscent of the Yakuza, no?”

 “No.”

“I think it’s kinda cool!” Ann smiled. “It… suits you?”

Mishima smiled back. “Thanks!”

Morgana chuckled. “His outfit is supposed to be a reflection of his idea of a rebel.”

“Ah! That makes sense. After all, the Yakuza are the most feared organization in Japan. Can you imagine going up against a member of such a large organized crime syndicate?”

Ryuji sighed deeply, “Jesus, man, you’re pretty lame.”

“Am I supposed to be offended by a _pirate_?”

Ann stepped between the two. “No fighting! We’re a team now!”

“Oh, that’s right!” Morgana bounced up and down. “Now that we’re a team, shouldn’t we have codenames?”

“Codenames?” Ann repeated.

“Yeah! If we want to conceal our identities, we shouldn’t use our real names.” Morgana pointed at Ren. “Like, our wildcard over here should be called Joker!”

Ren nodded. “Joker.”

"What about the rest of you, huh?”

“Oh! Oh!” Ryuji piped up. “Can I be… uh… oh! Can I be Skull?”

Morgana shook his head. “Creative.”

“Whatever. I like it. Call me Skull.”

 He nodded. “Got it. Skull. And how about Lady Ann?”

Ann looked over at Skull’s mask and that at her own outfit. “Well if we’re going with what our outfits suggest… how about—”

“Sexy cat?” Ryuji interrupted.

“No! I was going to say Panther.”

Morgana smiled. “It’s beautiful, Lady Ann.”

Mishima looked over at everyone. “Joker, Skull, and Panther… got it.” He turned to Morgana. “What name would you like?”

“Hmm…” Morgana put his paw up to his chin to give it thought.

Ryuji interjected. “What about… Mona?”

“Mona?!” Morgana asks incredulously. 

Ren nodded. “I like it.”

 Ann smiled. “Me too!”

"Really?” Morgana perked up. “Then it’s settled. I’ll be Mona!” He turned to Mishima. “What about you, newbie? With that mask… how about…”

Ryuji interrupted again. “Moonboy!”

“Uh, no thank you.” Mishima touched his mask. “Maybe Luna?”

“Luna? Ain’t that kinda girly?”

“Well, my Persona is feminine, right? I think it’s fitting.”

Ann smiled at Mishima. “Luna! It’s pretty.”

“Thank you, Takamaki-san!”

Ann laughed. “Mishima, you can call me Ann.”

"Oh. Okay. Then, please, call me Yuuki.”

Ryuji piped up. “Ain’t we supposed ta be usin’ codenames?”

“Ah! Right! Thank you, Panther. Skull.”

Morgana laughed. “All right. Panther, Skull, Joker, Luna… are you ready to start this mission?” The four students all nodded and gave affirmative responses. “Then it’s decided! Let’s take the King’s treasure!”

           

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to the team, Luna! As always, I hope you enjoyed and please let me know what you think!


	4. Hope Can Be Bruised

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The time has come to deliver the calling card.
> 
> TW - Violence

Joker picked up a book titled “The Slave Book.” He flipped through it and saw a list of names. Skull leaned over and gasped. “Yoooo. Those are all the dudes on the volleyball team!”

Luna squeezed between the two boys and took the book from Joker. “Let me see that.” He scanned the list of names, seeking his own, and found what he was looking for at the bottom of the page. “Oh…” He sighed and shut the book. “Let’s hold onto this. It might be useful later.”

Joker nodded as Luna tucked the book away into his trench coat. The group wandered along the castle halls, defeating all of the shadows that crossed their path. On their way to finding a room where the cognition was weak, and they could rest, they found two other books, “The King Book” and “The Queen Book.”

“Think we can use these to open the door from earlier?” Ann suggested.

“Yeah.” Joker affirmed.          

All of them traveled back to a room lined with books and placed the new books they had collected in their respective places. They heard an unlocking sound and a secret room unveiled itself. Pictures of Shiho covered the walls and an eerie aura hung in the air. Luna slowly stepped into the room and looked at each individual picture.

"Suzui-san…” Luna mumbled under his breath, feeling an incredible weight in his chest.

Panther clenched her fist tight and stared at the ground, unmoving.

“Ah, hey, you two gonna be okay?” Skull asked, concerned.

Panther lifted her head up high and gave Skull a quick nod. “We’re going to make him pay. Right, Luna?”           

Luna stood, disgusted with the sight before him, but then turned to give Panther a look of determination. “Right.”

They continued to travel within the castle until finally they reached the room where the treasure resided. A hazy cloud hung suspended in the air and the gang crowded around it.

"Is that the treasure?” Luna examined the cloud.

Mona nodded. “Yup. It just hasn’t materialized yet.”

“Whaddya mean?” Skull asked.

“The palace ruler has to be made aware that we’re after the treasure, so it can materialize, and that’s when we’ll steal it. We need to send out a calling card.”

“Oh, man! So, like, real thieves!”

"Yes, Skull. Now, once we send the calling card, we only have about a day before the treasure will disappear. We need to send it and then come straight back here to steal it. Now that we have our infiltration route, do you think you all are capable of that?” The remaining members all nodded and gave responses of confirmation. “Good! Now let’s head back and send the calling card! We need to make sure Kamoshida sees it, too…”

Luna stepped forward. “I can take care of that.”

“Good then. All right. I’ll explain anything you guys are curious about later. For now, we should head out of here. Joker, I’ll leave when we send out the calling card to you.”

“Got it.” Joker responded.

“Hey,” Skull walked up to Mona. “Whaddya mean by “we,” anyway? Don’t you live here?”

Mona sighed, exasperated. “I need to keep an eye on all of you in the real world to make sure that you’re getting the job done!”

"Well ya can’t stay with me. Our place doesn’t allow pets.”

"Like I’d want to stay with you, anyway!” He turned to Joker. “You have your own place, right?”

Joker shrugged. “Sort of.”

“Then it’s decided!” Mona hopped up next to Joker. “Now let’s go before more shadows come!”

The gang collected themselves and headed out of the castle.

**xxxxx**

The next morning, Ryuji ran to catch up to Mishima on the way to school. The two had talked about setting up the calling card to give to Kamoshida. They agreed that Ryuji would create the calling card and then it would be Mishima’s job to get it into the P.E faculty office. After all, Morgana had told them that the owner of the palace would need to see the calling card directly in order for the treasure to materialize. After that, there was only a narrow window of time before they could infiltrate the palace and steal the treasure. The pressure of it all started to build and weigh on Mishima, but he was ready for the challenge. They had to do this.

“Okay, man, now don’t laugh at it when you read it, all right?” Ryuji requested as he slyly pulled out the calling card he had made and slipped it into Mishima’s pants pocket. “Ann read it over and said it sounded like something a grade schooler would write…” The smaller boy nodded and patted against his pocket to secure the card in place. As he began to walk away from Ryuji, a hand rested on his shoulder and turned him around. Mishima flinched lightly and turned to see the blond still behind him. “Hey. You going to be okay?”

“Mhm.” He responded, a little dismissively. After awakening to his Persona and standing up to Kamoshida in the castle, he felt hardened. He was determined to go after Kamoshida by any means necessary and any amount of fear he had would need to disappear for him to do this.

“What if he – ”

Mishima shrugged Ryuji’s hand off his shoulder. “I’ll be fine.”

He frowned. “All right. Just be careful.” Ryuji hesitantly walked ahead of Mishima and left him alone. The boy stood alone for a minute, mentally preparing himself for following through the mission.

All day during class, Mishima couldn’t stay still. His constant foot tapping and nervous fidgeting was apparent to Ann and Ren, at least. The pair approached Mishima after classes had ended as he was making his way to the P.E. faculty office.

“Yuuki!” Ann called out for him and he turned to face her.

“Hi, Ann.”

"Are you…” Her voice trailed off as she knew Mishima already knew what she was concerned about.

“I’m going there right now.”

Ren gave Mishima an encouraging smile. “We’re counting on you.”

“I know.” Before continuing down the hall, he returned Ren’s smile. As he turned the corner and approached the room, his heart rate quickened. With a shaky hand he slowly tested to see if the door was unlocked. Easily, the door opened, and he cautiously stepped in the room, leaving the door ajar.

With light steps, he quietly made his way to Kamoshida’s desk. He took the calling card out of his pocket and scanned over the words. A small chuckle escaped him, accompanied with an eye roll. Just as he was about to set the card down and leave, the sound of a large presence clearing their throat echoed throughout the room.

A chill went down his spine and he didn’t dare turn around. Instead, he opted to stare at the floor, hoping he’d just be able to sink right into it.

“Mishima.” The low, gravelly voice commanded and, on a dime, Mishima turned to face him. Almost as if he had been conditioned to do so. “What are you doing in here? Came to beg for some special coaching?” Kamoshida took a step into the room, calmly closing the door and locking it behind him.

“No, Kamoshida.” Mishima replied coolly.

“Oh? What happened to _Mr._ Kamoshida? What happened to “Yes, sir. No, sir?”” Kamoshida slowly approached him and Mishima recoiled reflexively, prompting a small chuckle from the coach. “I think you’ve forgotten how to properly address me.”

“Sorry, sir…” He apologized through clenched teeth.

As Kamoshida got closer to the boy, he tensed up. Kamoshida raised his hand slowly, causing Mishima to flinch. The raised hand didn’t make contact with Mishima and instead ran through the coach’s hair. Another chuckle. “Pathetic…” Kamoshida then quickly smacked his hand across Mishima’s cheek.

It started. Again.

Instantly, redness flooded to Mishima’s cheek and he brought his hand up to it. It felt hot and it stung. His mind started racing and he was overwhelmed with emotions of insecurity, weakness, and fear. This wasn’t supposed to be happening. Not anymore. He was stronger now. What was all that in the metaverse? He defeated dozens of strong shadows and he stood up to King Kamoshida, didn’t he? He wasn’t that weak person anymore.

“Stop.” Mishima commanded in a low tone.

“Trying to be intimidating, are we?” He towered over Mishima as he stepped closer. “What’s gotten into you?” He punctuated his question with a swift blow to his victim’s gut.

“Agh!” Mishima held onto his stomach now, doubled over with the wind knocked out of him.

The volleyball coach simply glared at the abused boy with a look of apathy. “That’s a much more familiar sight. Know your place. You’re just worthless scum.”

“I’m… not…” He choked out the words as he gasped for more air.

“No?” His heavy hand reached towards Mishima again and he grasped onto his dark blue hair, pulling his head up to make eye contact. “You’re useless and talentless, Mishima. Why do you think you have no friends at this school?”

Determined to not let Kamoshida break him, Mishima shut his eyes tight to keep from looking into the angry and piercing eyes above him. “That’s… not… true…” Still, it was hard for him to speak, but he couldn’t back down.

The hard and dirty sole of Kamoshida’s shoe then hit Mishima across the side of his ribs and sent him tumbling to the ground, his face on the floor and tears starting to well up in his eyes.

“Stop crying, you pussy.” Mishima’s face was pushed further against the floor as his assailant pressed his foot on him, keeping him pinned to the ground. “You disgust me, you know that? You tried to act all high and mighty, but you’ll always be the weak link on the volleyball team who can’t even score a point. Pitiful. I don’t know why a scrawny weakling like you even bothers at this point.”

Tears instantly spilled over Mishima’s eyelids and ran down his cheeks, small sobs escaping him. Everything was useless now. He was useless. “I’m sorry…” Mishima broke.

“Tch. “Sorry.” Whatever. Just pull yourself together and get out of my office.”

Mishima nodded obediently. “Yes, sir.”

“Oh, and…” He turned on his heel to look down at Mishima cowering on the ground. “Fetch Suzui for me, will you?” Kamoshida walked out of the room, a loud door slam emphasizing his exit. Mishima lied on the floor, clutching his legs up to his chest and releasing all the tears he tried and failed to hold back during the assault.

Moments later a voice rang in Mishima’s head.

_Is this it for you?_

_Is this the moment you break?_

_Is all the progress you made suddenly wasted?_

“N-No…”

_Then, you must battle and fight for the timid souls like you._

_Do not give up._

_Protect the weak from those filled with distortion._

_The burden of this task rests on you._

_Will you bear it?_

Mishima struggles to lift himself up to standing. “Y-Yes.” He breathes heavily, his whole body feeling battered. “I will… Mayari.”

In the corner of his eye, he saw the calling card on the floor. It probably fell out of his hand during the beating. Kamoshida must not have noticed it, either. He gradually dragged himself towards it and picked it up. With a deep sigh, he put the card back in his pocket and left the room.

With the weight of his body feeling a little heavier than usual, Mishima struggled up the stairs to get to the Shujin Academy rooftop, where the rest of the group agreed to meet. The door swung open and Mishima was greeted with expectant faces.

"Did ya do it?” Ryuji questioned. “We about to steal that bastard’s heart?”

The newly-injured boy shook his head. “I couldn’t do it… he caught me and then…”

Ann stood up and rushed to Mishima’s side. “Yuuki…”

“Someone must’ve really pissed him off today. I didn’t even do anything and he just…”

“It’s okay.” Ren spoke up and went to comfort Mishima.

Ryuji let out a loud groan and kicked at one of the desks. “He can’t keep doin’ this shit to you! We’re gonna make him pay!”

“I…” Shame filled Mishima as he took a step back away from Ren and Ann. “I couldn’t get him to read the calling card… But…” He inhaled sharply. “I think I should try again.”

“Dude. No. He’s just gonna hurt you again.”

“I can’t give up, though!” The determination squeaked out of him and he clenched his fists tight. “He… he can’t keep doing this! I won’t let him! He told me to get Suzui-san. He wants to have coaching session with her and… I won’t let him hurt her!”

Morgana sidled up next to Mishima’s leg. “Then you’ll have to go back in his office and deliver the card to him directly. Make sure he reads it in front of you, too. Only then can we steal his treasure.”

“Why don’t I go in there, instead?” Ryuji offered. “I can handle it.”

“No.” Mishima had a resolute look in his eyes. “I’ll go back in there. I have to face him.”

After a moment of silence and tension hanging in the air, everyone eventually agreed. A soft pat on the back from Ryuji and a look of belief from Ren was enough to fill Mishima with the confidence to face his attacker again.

He returned to the hall and stood in wait for Kamoshida to arrive back at his office. Moments later, when he saw the intimidating man enter the room, he quietly followed him in.

Kamoshida sat down at his desk, with his back to the door. He sensed a presence behind him. “Suzui. Have a seat and close the door behind you.”

Wordlessly, Mishima shut the door and stepped further into the room. “Um. Sir?” He assumed the façade of frightened prey, knowing that standing up to the predator before him would just make him even angrier.

Regardless, he got angry, slamming his clipboard down against his desk and turning to face Mishima. “Who the hell told you to come back here? You didn’t get enough the first time? I told you to fetch that girl for me.”

“I know, sir. Sorry, sir. I… I couldn’t find her. I came to deliver this to you…” He said while tentatively pulling out the card, handing it to Kamoshida.

Kamoshida snatched it from him and quickly glanced over it. “And what is this supposed to be? A prank?” His voice was low and steady, but there was still anger behind it.

“I don’t know anything about it. I was just told to give it to you.”

“You mean to tell me you don’t know anything about this?”

“No, sir.”

With a condescending scoff, he threw the card in the waste bin. “Waste of my time. Get the hell out of my office, Mishima.”

Mishima bowed and obeyed Kamoshida’s instruction. He started to head for the roof to tell the others that the calling card had been delivered successfully. All that was left to do was steal the treasure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear I love Mishima I just felt this was important to write. There is softer stuff in store!


	5. Break Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The time has come to steal the treasure, but Mishima's final encounter with his tormentor might just break him.

After the calling card had been delivered, all that was left to do was steal the treasure. Once some time had passed, Mishima had met up with the rest of the group on the roof and they all went to Kamoshida’s palace.

The group quickly rushed into the room where the treasure resided and were met with a surprising and disappointing sight. Luna slowly walked forward towards a hazy cloud suspended in the air. “I… I don’t get it. Isn’t the treasure supposed to have materialized?”

Mona hopped over next to Luna. “It should have.”

“Then where the hell is it?” Skull asked, demandingly.

Mona shrugged helplessly. “I dunno. It should be here.” He gave Luna a suspicious look. “Kamoshida _did_ read the calling card you gave him, right?”

Luna nodded. “Yes! I saw him read the whole thing!”

“Hmm…” Mona tapped his paw against his chin in thought. “This is not good…”

Panther copied the motion, giving it thought herself. “Are we too late? Did it take us too long to get here?”

Mona shook his head. “That shouldn’t be the case. Once the calling card is sent, the treasure materializes for about a day. It should be here.”

Skull rushed to the cloud in the center of the room and ran his hand through it. “There’s really nothin’ here…” He turned to face Mona. “What the hell, cat? What did we do wrong?”

“I don’t know!”

“I thought you had all the answers!”

Mona growled. “This is my first time stealing a treasure, too!”

Joker approached Luna, who was noticeably overwhelmed and puzzled. He put a hand on Luna’s shoulder in reassurance. “You all right?”

Luna stared at his hands and shook his head. “I… I must’ve done something wrong. I screwed it up.”

Everyone turned to face Luna. Mona stepped closer to him. “Can you tell us everything that happened? Did Kamoshida say anything after he read the card?”

“Um…” Luna tried to recall the exchange. “He just said it was a waste of his time. Then he told me to get out…”

“I see. I see…”

A look of sadness appeared on his face. “I messed up, didn’t I?”

“Well…” Mona sighed deeply. “You aren’t a threat to him.”

“Huh?”

Skull scoffed. “Luna ain’t a threat to anybody. Was that supposed to be part of the strategy? Because I know he doesn’t stand a chance against me, let alone Kamoshida.”

“Hey!” Luna let out a defensive shout.

“Am I wrong?” Luna backed down and sighed. He kicked at the floor and Skull softened a bit, coming near the hurt boy. “Hey, I didn’t really mean it like that. You fight pretty good actually. But I mean… the real Kamoshida doesn’t know that. He just sees you as–”

“The weak link on the volleyball team who can’t even score a point.” Luna finished. “I know.” Skull grew silent, as did the rest of the group. “S-Sorry. This… This whole thing was a mistake. You all can do this without me.”

Luna started to run out of the room and Panther chased after him. “Luna! Wait!”

“Let him go.” Skull said calmly, causing Panther to stop short.

Skull, Panther, Mona, and Joker stayed in the room with the unmaterialized treasure while Luna began navigating out of the palace. He ran quickly through the castle halls, avoiding any shadow he had come across. Finally, he had made it to the outside of the castle. No one was nearby so he took a minute to catch his breath. Slowly, he retrieved his phone and pulled up the nav app. Just as he was about to press it and go back to the real world, he faltered. He thought back on a conversation he had with Shiho earlier, before entering the palace.

**xxxxx**

“Mishima-kun!” Shiho called from the end of the hallway as Mishima was heading up the stairs to go to the roof. He stopped at the bottom step and turned around to face the girl as she caught up to him. “Mishima-kun…”

“Suzui-san. Hello. Um… is everything alright?”

She looked away from him. “Yes. I think so.”

"Oh. Good.” Silence. “Well. I have somewhere I need to be, so…”

Shiho gasped quietly and her eyes met Mishima’s. “Oh! I see. I was just going to ask… um… did Coach Kamoshida call you in for a session today?”

Mishima clutched his hand tightly. “N-Not exactly, but… he did do what you think he did.”

Shiho’s eyes darted away from him. “I thought so.”

“Hey, it’s no big deal. Don’t worry about me. We don’t have to do that today.”

Shiho frowned. “You look really hurt.” She put her hand out to hold Mishima’s, making brief eye contact as if to ask if the gesture was okay. Mishima gave a small nod and she lightly wrapped her fingers around his hand. “It won’t take long, I just don’t want anything to get infected.”

He shrugged. “It’s fine. I mean, it won’t. I can bandage myself up when I get home.”

“Oh. Okay…” Shiho looked away sadly and Mishima broke down.

“All right. I’ll come, just as long as it’s quick.”

A small smile from Shiho and a quick tug on Mishima’s hand and before long, the pair ended up in the empty Shujin gymnasium. Shiho motioned for Mishima to sit down on the bench as she retrieved materials from her bag. Antispetic, cotton swabs, bandages, an ice compress, and bindings. She went through the typical routine, but her pace was more hurried than usual. Delicately, she put antiseptic on a cotton swab and reached towards one of Mishima’s cuts that resided just below his hairline. “Um… it’s gonna–”

“Sting. I know.” Mishima shut his eyes tight. “It’s all right.”

Shiho nodded and lightly applied the antiseptic to the cut. Mishima inhaled sharply and Shiho mumbled several apologies as she searched for more cuts on the boy. “So. Do you think Tsukino-san is going to get a starting position?”

“Maybe.” He opened his eyes slowly and glanced at Shiho, who was focused on treating him. “She has a great spike, but… you – ah!”

“Oh! Sorry!” Shiho set aside the cotton swab and lightly pressed her hand into Mishima’s side, which she had accidently bumped her elbow against. The gentle pressure elicited a small groan from Mishima and Shiho pouted. “Did he…?” Shiho trailed off and Mishima nodded, a sort of telepathy that had developed over time between the two at work. “Let me put on these bandages and then I’ll ice you, okay?” Another caring nod. “Anyway… you were saying?”

“Ah… just that… I think you should definitely get starter.”

“Hm.” Shiho carefully stuck a band-aid on one of Mishima’s cuts and she sighed. “I think I’m going to quit the team.”

“You what? Ow!” Mishima held onto his pained side that hurt due to the quick motion he made. “You’re… quitting?” He asked, breathing in and out slowly.

“I can’t deal with Kamoshida anymore.”

“But, Suzui-san… you love volleyball, and you’re really damn good at it!”

Shiho tried to calm Mishima down. “Easy. You’re gonna hurt yourself.”

“Sorry. It’s just that… you can’t let Kamoshida have that kind of power over you.”

The last bandage had been placed on the cuts and Shiho slowly lifted up Mishima’s shirt to assess the bruise on his side. He shut his eyes again to prep for the pain that he knew was coming. “Am I supposed to keep letting him hurt me? You should quit, too, Mishima-kun.”

“I’m…”

"I know why you joined the team. Why you’re still on it.” Shiho carefully took an ice compress and pressed it against Mishima’s bruise, who had minimal reaction to the stinging coldness against his skin. “You wanted a place to belong. You wanted friends. I get that. You have me, though.” Shiho smiled warmly and giggled. “We can be friends, Mishima-kun! Kamoshida won’t have any power over us. We’ll be the ones with the power for once. He won’t own us anymore.”

Mishima shut his eyes tighter. “But… he needs to pay for what he’s done to all of us…”

Shiho then held onto Mishima’s hand and squeezed it tight. “He will. We just have to have faith, okay? He wants to break us, but… we won’t break, will we?”

“We won’t break.”

Shiho smiled. “Exactly.” She handed Mishima an elastic bandage.

"Thanks.” He smiled weakly as he took it. “I’ll put this on later. But thank you.”

"I’m always here. But hopefully this is the last time we see each other in these circumstances, right?”

“Right.”

“No breaking, okay?”

“No breaking.”

Shiho pulled Mishima in closer to her and gently brought him in for an embrace. “Okay. You can go up to the roof now. I’ll see you tomorrow, Mishima-kun.”

“You can call me Yuuki. If you want.”

She smiled warmly. “Okay, Yuuki. Please then, call me Shiho!”

"Thank you, Shiho.”

**xxxxx**

Luna fought back tears as he stood outside the castle. “No… breaking…” He repeated to himself. Just then, he heard grunts and shrieking coming from the castle’s entrance hall. “Joker?” Swiftly, he turned and rushed back to the entrance, listening in on what was going on behind the doors.

“You’re all worthless! No one can defeat King Kamoshida!”

The deep, familiar voice made Luna feel sick and disgusted. He tried to fight back the urge to enter the castle again, but his burning hatred was growing too powerful. In a fit of anger, he burst through the door, only to be greeted by a Shadow Kamoshida, dozens of shadow guards, a cognitive Shiho dressed in a revealing bikini, and the gang all apprehended by shadows.

Quickly, Luna summoned Mayari and cast a gravity spell on the guards who started to approach him. They fell to their knees and a sickening and twisted laugh bellowed out of Shadow Kamoshida.

“So, it looks like Mishima came crawling back, did he? I found your friends, by the way. Infiltrating my castle like they own the place.”

"You let them go!” Luna shouted powerfully.

“I don’t think I will. I’d rather have some fun.” With a shrill sound of a whistle, Luna was apprehended from behind by several other shadow guards.

What followed was a nauseating display of lust from a power-hungry tyrant. As Luna struggled to break free from the hold on him, Kamoshida began to have his way with the others. First, he brought Shiho and Panther close against him, wrapping himself around them. The cognitive Shiho was content and enjoying herself while Panther was doing her best to summon her persona and get away.

"Carmen!” Panther shrieked, in a desperate attempt to save herself and the others. She hastily cast a fire spell on Kamoshida, but it was reflected and injured her instead.

"Panther!” Mona cried out as he was squirming in the clutches of more guard shadows. “You can’t use magic on that thing! It’ll just end up hurting you!”

Panther growled under her breath and relented for the time being, suffering through Kamoshida’s revolting touch. As he ran his fingers across the girls’ skin, a raucous laugh roared out of him. The sound of his tormentor’s jarring voice caused Luna to weaken. Each sound that echoed around the room felt like sharp pins piercing through his brain.

Kamoshida was not done with his fun, however. Through his laughter, he commanded the shadows to punish Skull, Mona, and Joker. “Guards. I want you to put those three through a special practice. Break them in.” He turned to Luna with a menacing chuckle. “As for Mishima… you can watch.”

All Luna could do was watch helplessly as the shadows tormented his friends. The shadows were mostly landing physical blows to the boys as they were being restricted by their arms and legs, unable to move much at all. They all cried out for their personas in last-ditch efforts to defend themselves, but their attacks either missed or reflected back at them.

“They’re… too… powerful…” Mona struggled to speak as he was pinned to the ground by a particularly strong shadow. “How did this happen?”

Luna watched at first but was soon unable to look at the pain being inflicted on his friends. Raw memories began to resurface to his mind, and he tried to fight them back, but it was useless. The way the flashbacks came to him were similar to being caught in a rip current. No matter how hard he tried to fight against them, they would always hit without warning, pulling him away from the shore. He was completely at the mercy of the moon’s tidal force.

A slap. A punch. A kick. Blood. Cuts. Bruises. Worthless. Useless. Scum.

All of it swirled around Luna’s head, hot tears running down his cheeks and an inextinguishable anger brewing inside him. He cried out a frustrated scream, and adrenaline started to pump through him. The shadow guards had a tight hold on him, but he used all this strength to muster up an attack against them. He ran his elbow into the shadow behind him while simultaneously biting down on one who had a grip around his neck. They both released him, and he stumbled to the ground. Before they could attack him again, he pulled out his weapon and aimed it carefully.

His weapon was a rifle under the guise of an umbrella. The shadow guards laughed seeing an umbrella pointed at them, but Luna looked at them coldly and seriously. Within an instant, he fired at them and they were defeated. Silence fell in the room and the other shadows stopped in their tracks. Kamoshida’s eyes widened in fear, but then he gritted his teeth and gave Luna a threatening look.

“Enough of this. Guards–!”

“Persona!” Luna shouted and eliminated all the magic walls that Kamoshida and the other shadows had erected around them.

“Y-You think this is a game?”

Luna ignored him and cast another gravity spell that hit all of the shadows, who fell to the ground, relinquishing their power over Joker, Mona, and Skull. The three boys simply lied on the ground trying to catch their breath and get their bearings.

With cautious steps, Luna approached Kamoshida and aimed his rifle directly at him. “Let them go.” He demanded calmly.

Mona struggled up to standing. “Luna. If you do this then the real Kamoshida could die as well! He’ll completely shut down.”

Luna simply rested his finger on the trigger, his glare boring into Kamoshida even more. “Let. Them. Go.”

Fear immediately set in to the tyrannical shadow and he did as he was told, letting Ann and Shiho out of his grasp. Luna, however, kept his weapon raised and pointed.

“S-Stop it. Y-You wouldn’t really shoot me, would you?”

“You think I can’t?” Luna questioned, growing noticeably irritated.

The others simply sat and watched, unable to speak or really make sense of what was happening. Mona’s words rang in Luna’s mind. _Kamoshida could die._ Could he really? Would everything be over then? Would no one have to suffer anymore?

"It’s your call, Luna…” Mona shrugged.

"Luna.” Joker said softly. He wasn’t telling him what to do one way or the other, but Joker could tell that something was going on with Luna and he felt he needed to try to pull him back into reality or out of whatever he was carried away in.

Luna just ignored him, keeping his weapon steady and locked on Kamoshida. His resolve was strong, and he felt determination all throughout him. But mostly he felt tired. Tired of the pain. Tired of being powerless. He finally had the opportunity to take control.

“No breaking.” Luna squeezed the trigger, and then–

_Bang._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed and are excited to see what happens next! Stay tuned!


	6. Breath Before the Plunge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath of the incident in the castle. 
> 
> TW - Panic attacks

_Bang._

There was nothing but silence and stillness. Smoke was pouring out of the barrel of the rifle. The bullet that shot out from the barrel had sped straight ahead right between Kamoshida’s eyes. As quickly as the shot happened, even more quickly was the disappearance of the body. In an instant, Kamoshida had evaporated into black dust. No one knew what to do or say and the quiet settled in to everyone’s bodies. Thoughtfully, Mishima lowered his weapon down to his side. His expression changed slowly from unwavering determination to guilt and regret. He stared at the empty space where his tormentor had been standing mere seconds before. The weight of his body started to become too much to keep up with, and he collapsed on the ground, rifle tumbling across the floor as he collided against the earth.

Ryuji was the first to speak up. “H-Hey. Mishima…” This was not a time for codenames and Ryuji knew that. He walked over to Mishima and knelt down next to him. Mishima started shuddering and Ryuji tried to calm him down by rubbing his hand on the sensitive boy’s back. Even though he flinched at first, Ryuji kept trying to ease him and comfort him. “I-It’s all right. You’re safe. He’s gone.”

Those words didn’t provide too much comfort, but it was better than the silence. Mishima nodded at his friend’s attempt to calm him down but he didn’t move much more after that.

Suddenly, there was a rumbling sensation throughout the castle. The walls shook, and the columns started crumbling. Morgana hopped up and down, trying to get everyone’s attention. “You guys! The palace is collapsing! Let’s get out of here!”

Everyone except for Mishima headed for the exit. Ren turned around and saw him still on the ground, completely immovable. Ren’s diversion of attention caused Ryuji to look back as well. Ryuji rushed back over to Mishima and put his arms underneath him to pull him out of the castle. “C’mon, man, we gotta get outta here! The exit’s right there, it ain’t far!”

Mishima still didn’t move or speak, he just let Ryuji drag him out of the castle. The gang busted through the front entrance doors before any debris could hit them. Ren quickly pulled out his phone and navigated everyone back to the real world.

**xxxxx**

“That was some shit, huh?” Ryuji asked, again trying to break the tension and silence.

Ann shoved him and gestured towards Mishima, who looked disturbed and upset. “Ryuji.” She muttered under her breath.

Mishima looked up at Ryuji but still didn’t say anything. Ryuji put his arm around him and squeezed him close. “It’s okay. It’s gonna be okay.”

Ryuji’s words felt hollow to Mishima and he turned to look at Morgana. “Kamoshida… is going to shut down?”

Morgana nodded. “That should be what happens.”

“What does that mean… exactly?” Mishima was quiet but his voice was steady.

“He’s going to die.”

“When?” It wasn’t the most pressing question on Mishima’s mind, but it was still something he was curious about, and it was all he could manage to ask at the moment.

Morgana shrugged. “Could happen at any time, I think.”

Mishima just gave an understanding nod and then looked back at the school. It had gotten dark and seeing the sturdy building standing against the night sky filled Mishima with an uncomfortable feeling. Sort of like a mixture between dread and angst. Whatever was about to happen in the coming days would not be good and he knew that.

“You gonna be okay?” Ryuji asked, breaking Mishima’s concentration.

“Oh. Uh. Yes. I’ll be fine.” He sighed. “I should probably head home. My parents are probably worried.”

“Yeah. You head home then. See ya later.” Ryuji put his hands in his pockets and walked away from the gang to start going home.

Ann placed a hand on Mishima’s shoulder and gave him a look of sympathy before she headed home herself.

Ren stood with Morgana at his feet as he stared at Mishima.

“What?” Mishima asked, a little harshly.

“Are you sure you’re going to be okay?” Ren took a step closer to Mishima, but Mishima took an equally distant step back.

“I’m fine.” He replied defensively.

“I’m not upset with you or anything, okay? I know why you did it.”

Mishima looked away from Ren. “Can we just not talk about it? I really just want to go home.”

“Sure. I’ll talk to you later?”

“Yeah.”

Ren tried to give Mishima a reassuring smile before he left with Morgana in tow. Mishima simply stood in front of the school, his mind now free to completely run rampant with irrational thoughts.

**xxxxx**

There was an assembly that Monday.

Rumors were swirling around that something had happened to Coach Kamoshida, but none of the stories really matched up and there was nothing concrete. Most people were saying that he got fired, or suspended, or he’d be taking a leave of absence. No one had really been prepared for what the news would actually be.

Principal Kobayakawa walked up to the podium and tried to quell all the whispers and murmurs that filled the auditorium. “Settle down, students.” Silence fell across the room and the principal spoke into the microphone. “I’m sure everyone is concerned with the whereabouts of our beloved P.E. teacher, Suguru Kamoshida. I am deeply saddened to share that he has passed due to a stroke a few nights ago.”

Cue the whispers and murmurs.

Mishima was standing in the back of the auditorium, away from Ren, Ann, and Ryuji who were grouped at the front. As everyone in the room started talking, Mishima felt eyes on him and he looked up to see Ren and the others looking back at him. He looked away from them and put his focus on the microphone at the podium, waiting for the staring to stop. It didn’t take long for them all to turn away and begin discussing something amongst themselves.

“Quiet down. Settle down.” The principal continued. “I know this is hard for all of us. Kamoshida was an integral part of Shujin Academy and his loss is something we will all feel. Our condolences are with his family at this time.”

Mishima clenched his fist hard and kept his eyes sternly focus on the microphone. So, it was true. Morgana was right. Kamoshida had shut down and now he was dead. All because of him.

“We trust all of you will hold true to the Shujin Academy legacy and reputation by treating each other kindly in this trying time. All of us need to–”

He had stopped listening to Principal Kobayakawa’s words. It was too much to handle. Hearing about his abuser in such a positive light made him sick to his stomach. He was used to hearing those things, but somehow it was different now that he was gone. Like now that Kamoshida was being mourned, people would only say nice things about him. Stuff about him being gone too soon and being one of the good ones. Mishima knew there was nothing good about Kamoshida. He was cruel, abusive, sick, and twisted. Nothing was going to change that.

As Mishima was lost in thought, the students in the room started to disperse and the principal walked off the stage. Assuming that the assembly was over, he started to walk back to class but before he could, he felt a hand on his shoulder swing him around to face behind him.

He let out a small sound before he saw Ryuji with Ren and Ann. Ryuji scoffed. “Chill, dude, it’s just me.”

“Ah, s-sorry. I’ve just been on edge lately.”

“You’re always on edge.”

Mishima stuck his hands in his pockets and turned away. “Yeah, I… I don’t have anything to say to you all right now, so… can I just go, please?”

“Yuuki…” Ren called after Mishima, who had started to turn and walk away.

He faced Ren. “Mishima is fine.”

Ren’s face fell. “We should all talk about this.”

“I have nothing to say.”

“Bullshit.” Ryuji interjected. His tone was harsh and uncaring, which startled Mishima a little.

Mishima sighed at his own inability to stay calm. “Fine. We can talk. I can’t keep avoiding this, I guess.”

“We’re not upset with you, Yuu—Mishima.” Ann bit her lip.

“Can we not talk here, at least? Can we after class?”

Ren nodded. “Let’s meet on the roof.”

“Sure.”

Mishima finally broke away from the rest of the gang, who stood looking after him.

**xxxxx**

The rest of the school day passed by relatively slowly. Ren and Ann were anxious to finally talk to Mishima, but Mishima just wanted to get the talk over with as quickly as possible. He knew that he had to have this talk with everybody, but he really didn’t feel like getting scolded. His whole life he felt like everything he did and said was wrong. After a while he had decided to just be invisible. No one would know or care what he did if they couldn’t notice him in the first place. Being invisible had its perks, and Mishima felt over the last few days that he probably should have just stuck with his typical personality that didn’t stand out at all. But he didn’t want to put up with it anymore. He had become an easy target for Kamoshida and ignored by all his peers. Having to face every single day being scared and alone, only for your only touch and personal connection to be one of pain and hurt, was weighing on him too much. It had to stop. He had to put a stop to it. He had no other choice, didn’t he?

Mishima hadn’t paid any attention to the lectures. He hadn’t been for a long time. There was too much on his mind. Fortunately, or maybe unfortunately, getting carried away in his thinking helped the school day go by a lot faster. Before he knew it, the last lesson of the day was over, and it was time to meet with Ren, Morgana, Ryuji, and Ann. He still didn’t want to go talk to them. He couldn’t face them. They’d never understand why he did what he chose to do. Mishima sat at his desk, unmoving.

“Mishima?” Ann spoke gently so as not to startle him.

Mishima looked up at Ann. “Hey. I know. I’ll meet you up there.”

Ren and Ann nodded and walked out of the classroom to head to the roof. Mishima sat, trying to ready himself until he finally got up and went to meet with the others.

The walk up the stairs felt similar to the walks Mishima would make to the P.E. faculty office. _“Mishima-kun. Coach needs to see you in his office.”_ Usually Kamoshida would make a first-year fetch Mishima for him. That’s how it started, anyway. Eventually it evolved into Kamoshida simply giving Mishima a look during practice, and he knew exactly what it meant. Having no choice but walking towards something you knew was going to hurt you wasn’t exactly the best feeling. Walking up to the roof was no different.

Mishima opened up the door and saw sympathetic faces looking back at him. He wasn’t sure what to make of it and cautiously stepped past the threshold. “Go ahead, you guys. Scold me.”

“We don’t want to scold you…” Ann hesitantly stepped closer to Mishima. “We just want to make sure you’re okay. You haven’t answered any of our texts and you’ve been very… quiet.”

“I’ve always been quiet.”

“You used to be quiet.” Ryuji spoke up. “After you, uh… awoke? Whatever. Once you got your persona you seemed more… alive. Now you’re moping around the same way you were before you… um… y’know.”

“I know.”

“What’s the deal, though? Kamoshida’s gone.”

Mishima leaned against the now closed door and shut his eyes tight. “I killed him…”

No one really knew what to say to that. They all stayed silent and waited for Mishima to speak again.

“I killed Kamoshida… I’m no better than him. I’m… I’m worse than him.”

Ren quickly rushed to Mishima’s side to pull him in for a comforting hug but Mishima just pushed him off.

“Stop!” Mishima started to breathe heavier.

“Hey, dude.” Ryuji stepped close. “Just relax. None of us think you’re worse than him.”

Mishima leaned forward and shouted. “What do _you_ know?”

Ryuji stood, calm. “What do _I_ know about Kamoshida? Are you kidding me?”

“I’m not. You have… no idea…”

“Mishima.” Ren tried to calm him down, but Mishima was too far gone.

“He’s a horrible person! Everything he put me through… it… it…” The flashbacks came flooding back quickly. He held onto his head and shook his body violently, trying to fight back against them. “He… he wouldn’t stop. I’d ask him to stop. BEG him to. He wouldn’t!”

Mishima knocked his body against the wall and fell to the ground. “I had to put a stop to it. I had to make him stop somehow! There was no other way…”

Ren, Ann, and Ryuji collectively took steps away from Mishima, realizing that trying to comfort him in his state would be useless.

“If I didn’t kill him, it would’ve kept happening! He would’ve… It would’ve gotten worse!” Mishima started gasping for breath as he spoke. The words spilled out of him as if finally saying these things was the only thing that could keep him alive. “I… I couldn’t keep living in fear. I was so afraid. Every single day. But now I’m no better than him!”

Ryuji stomped his foot. “Stop saying that shit, man! That’s not true.”

“It is!”

Ryuji went over to Mishima and knelt down close. “Hey! It’s not!”

“Don’t yell at him.” Ren spoke up calmly.

“He’s gotta know it’s not true!”

“Not now. Just… let him be. I’ll stay with him.”

Ann frowned. “Are you sure?”

Ren nodded. “Take Morgana and wait for us downstairs. We’ll be down soon.”

Ryuji stepped away from Mishima. “You sure you know how to handle… this?”

“I’m sure.”

“Okay.” Ryuji took Ren’s bag with Morgana and him and Ann left the roof.

Ren sat down a few feet away from Mishima, looking away as his friend curled up on the ground. Ren simply waited for the waves to pass. Mishima stopped speaking but he still let out grunts and sighs every once in a while. He hugged himself tight and tried to breathe through the memories that were berating his brain.

The waves stopped crashing violently and slowly turned into soft laps. Mishima’s breath became steadier and he lifted himself up off the ground enough to see Ren sitting across from him.

“A… Ren? When…?”

“I just had to make sure you were safe.” Ren scooted a little closer to Mishima. “How are you feeling?”

“My… head…”

“I know.” Ren looked at Mishima and smiled, but Mishima was not looking back at him. “You don’t have to be embarrassed or anything right now. I get it.”

Mishima nodded. “Okay.”

“You up to talk?” Mishima shrugged. “I just have something I’ve been meaning to say to you for a long time now.”

“Yeah?” A different kind of anxiety started to fill Mishima now.

“Let’s be a team.”

“A… what?”

“Listen, you’re not worse than Kamoshida. Not at all. You’re better than any of us. You put a stop to his reign of inciting fear and inflicting pain onto all of his students. You’re a hero, Yuuki.”

“H-Hero? Me?”

Ren nodded. “I think there’s a lot we can do together to keep anyone else from suffering like this.”

Mishima hurriedly tried lifting himself up to standing on his shaky legs. He leaned against the wall to keep from falling. “Y-You want me to… help you kill more people?”

“I—”

“No. Forget it. I can’t.”

“Yuuki, I’m not saying that, I’m just saying—”

Mishima turned and opened the door behind him. “I can’t be here right now. I’m… I’m sorry.” He walked out and slammed the door on Ren, who sat alone on the roof.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yuuki is a treasure, I'm sorry I keep doing this.


End file.
